Paying Homage to Israel

March 6 was Super Tuesday—the day, we are told, “when the voters in 10 battleground states could decide who will be the Republican nominee for president of the United States. So was Mitt Romney focused on Ohio—a key battleground state—over the course of the March 3-4 weekend? Did Rick Santorum fight for Georgia? Did Newt Gingrich woo the Southern states? No, they were slouching toward Gomorrah by the Potomac—to pay homage to the real rulers of America—together with Barack Obama and virtually every member of the Senate and the House, to pledge allegiance to the state of Israel at the annual American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) policy conference for “three of the most important days affecting Israel’s future.”

Over that weekend, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu traveled to Washington,D.C. to lay out his imperial plans for Israel and the United States to attack Iran. But the real decisions at the AIPAC conference were not featured on the conference stage—they transpired behind closed doors. Israel desperately wants the U.S. to go to war with Iran ASAP—for a secret reason that AFP has uncovered.

Speakers included President Obama, Israeli President Shimon Peres, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.); House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.), Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.), Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) and many more. The official list failed to mention that Romney, Santorum and Gingrich all spoke as well, but AFP learned in advance they were scheduled to speak. Republican candidate Ron Paul was not welcome because of his outspoken pro-peace, America-first policies.

Netanyahu snubbed Obama by first going to AIPAC—contrary to protocol, which dictates seeing the president first. This sent a message that Netanyahu is using the corrupt Congress and the neocon GOP candidates for the presidency to pressure Obama into war. Israel can’t defeat Iran by itself—without resorting to a nuclear strike. If Israel attacks first, the Zionists will drag America into their war for them. But Netanyahu’s preferred option is to fight Iran with American blood and treasure first.

Obama will do whatever it takes to be reelected, even going so far as to support war if it looks like he would lose the White House. As AFP has written before, a war with Iran would be America’s worst-ever “no-win” war. Patriots in the Pentagon and intelligence communities agree that war with Iran is insane. Even 12 of the living ex-chiefs of Mossad and Shin Bet oppose war with Iran. Former Mossad chief Meir Dagan condemns Bibi’s planned attack on Iran as “the stupidest thing . . . irresponsible.”

So why did AIPAC move up the date—almost three months—ahead of its annual conference for Netanyahu to pressure Washington to attack Iran, against America’s and Israel’s national interests? Why did AIPAC change its policies to give its sycophant GOP neocon candidates a soapbox?

AFP reveals the super-secret reason why Netanyahu is so desperate now: The current Israeli regime’s shaky coalition of political parties, notably Kadima, Likud and Shas, are at each other’s throats.

The latest poll conducted in Israel just before Netanyahu’s visit to Washington shows that more than 81 percent of Israelis oppose an attack on Iran without U.S. backing. The poll was conducted by the University of Maryland and the Dahaf Institute on Feb. 22-26. Thirty percent of Israelis believe a strike would either have no effect on the Iranian nuclear energy program—or would accelerate it. For his regime to survive, Netanyahu must get the United States in a war with Iran.

AIPAC doesn’t care about America’s future. Netanyahu says Iran is an “existential threat”—but the only “existential threat” is to the Netanyahu regime’s fragile hold on power. Israel has always needed a “danger” as an excuse for maintaining its victim status—but the regime is terrified of the fractures between the secular majority and the multitude of religious sects at home—and even more of the loss of kneejerk support by many American Jews—especially in the younger generation—who think for themselves and abhor Israeli war crimes and hypocrisy.

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*AFP recommends The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy by John J. Mearsheimer & Stephen M. Walt. The authors describe the remarkable level of financial and diplomatic support America provides to Israel and argue that this support cannot be fully explained on strategic or moral grounds. Hardback, 484 pages, $30 plus $4 S&H. Order here or from AFP, 645 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, #100, Washington, D.C. 20003.

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Ralph Forbes is a freelance writer based in Arkansas. He is also a member of AFP’s Southern Bureau. Contact him at [email protected]